Photo detail

In this Feb. 5, 2019, photo, a student waits for a bus outside the abandoned John C. Clark Elementary and Middle School in Hartford, Conn. The school was closed in 2015 after toxic PCBs were found during a renovation. Many students in the neighborhood now must travel long distances to get to other schools. (Martha Irvine/AP)

Donate Report a Typo Contact

Stories this photo appears in:

Tease photo

At first, teachers at Sky Valley Education Center simply evacuated students and used fans to clear the air when the fluorescent lights caught fire or smoked with noxious fumes. When black oil dripped onto desks and floors, they caught leaks with a bucket and duct-taped oil-stained carpets.

By TAMMY WEBBER and MARTHA IRVINE, Associated Press October 16, 2019